Osteosclerosis is a disorder characterized by abnormal hardening of bone and an elevation in bone density. It may predominantly affect the medullary portion and/or

cortex Cortex or cortical may refer to: Biology * Cortex (anatomy), the outermost layer of an organ ** Cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the vertebrate cerebrum, part of which is the ''forebrain'' *** Motor cortex, the regions of the cerebral cortex i ...

of bone. Plain

radiographs Radiography is an imaging technique using X-rays, gamma rays, or similar ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation to view the internal form of an object. Applications of radiography include medical ("diagnostic" radiography and "therapeu ...

are a valuable tool for detecting and classifying osteosclerotic disorders. It can manifest in localized or generalized osteosclerosis. Localized osteosclerosis can be caused by Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease, sickle-cell disease and

osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of articular cartilage, joint cartilage and underlying bone. A form of arthritis, it is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affect ...

among others. Osteosclerosis can be classified in accordance with the causative factor into acquired and hereditary.

Types

Acquired osteosclerosis

* Osteogenic bone metastasis caused by carcinoma of prostate and breast *

Paget's disease of bone Paget's disease of bone (commonly known as Paget's disease or, historically, osteitis deformans) is a condition involving Bone remodeling, cellular remodeling and deformity of one or more bones. The affected bones show signs of dysregulated bone ...

* Myelofibrosis (primary disorder or secondary to intoxication or malignancy) * Osteosclerosing types of chronic

osteomyelitis Osteomyelitis (OM) is the infectious inflammation of bone marrow. Symptoms may include pain in a specific bone with overlying redness, fever, and weakness. The feet, spine, and hips are the most commonly involved bones in adults. The cause is ...

* Hypervitaminosis D * Hyperparathyroidism * Schnitzler syndrome * Mastocytosis * Skeletal fluorosis * Monoclonal IgM Kappa cryoglobulinemia *

Hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection period, people often have mild or no symptoms. Early symptoms can include ...

Hereditary osteosclerosis

* Malignant infantile osteopetrosis * Neuropathic infantile osteopetrosis * Infantile osteopetrosis with renal tubular acidosis * Infantile osteopetrosis with immunodeficiency * IO with leukocyte adhesion deficiency syndrome (LAD-III) * Intermediate osteopetrosis *

Autosomal dominant In genetics, dominance is the phenomenon of one variant (allele) of a gene on a chromosome masking or overriding the Phenotype, effect of a different variant of the same gene on Homologous chromosome, the other copy of the chromosome. The firs ...

osteopetrosis (Albers-Schonberg) * Pyknodysostosis (osteopetrosis acro-osteolytica) * Osteopoikilosis ( Buschke–Ollendorff syndrome) * Osteopathia striata with cranial sclerosis * Mixed sclerosing bone dysplasia * Progressive diaphyseal dysplasia ( Camurati–Engelmann disease) *

SOST Sclerostin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SOST'' gene. It is a secreted glycoprotein with a C-terminus, C-terminal cysteine knot-like (CTCK) domain and sequence similarity to the PARN, DAN (differential screening-selected gene a ...

-related sclerosing bone dysplasias File:ScleroticmetastaticdiseasespineLCT.png, Sclerosis of the bones of the thoracic spine due to prostate cancer metastases (CT image) File:Scleroticmetastaticdiseasespine.png, Sclerosis of the bones of the thoracic spine due to prostate cancer metastases (CT image)

Diagnosis

Osteosclerosis can be detected with a simple radiography. There are white portions of the bone which appear due to the increased number of bone trabeculae.

Animals

In the animal kingdom, there also exists a non-pathological form of osteosclerosis, resulting in unusually solid bone structure with little to no marrow. It is often seen in aquatic

vertebrates Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

, especially those living in shallow waters,Houssaye, A. (2009). "Pachyostosis" in aquatic amniotes: a review. Integrative Zoology 4(4): 325-340. providing ballast as an adaptation for an aquatic lifestyle. It makes bones heavier, but also more fragile. In those animal groups, osteosclerosis often occurs together with bone thickening ( pachyostosis). This joint occurrence is called pachyosteosclerosis.

References

External links

{{Osteochondrodysplasia Osteopathies Animal anatomy Skeletal system